**1/2 Shudder To Think

50,000 BC

(Epic)

Fans of Shudder To Think's 1994 Pony Express Record and its single, "X-French Tee Shirt," may be disappointed with 50,000 B.C. Shudder still depend on epic blasts of jangly guitar and thick bass, but the addictive rhythms the band displayed in their days with DC indie Dischord Records seem forgotten. Vocalist Craig Wedren, victorious in his recent battle with Hodgkin's disease, still bellows strongly, especially on "Red House," which first appeared on the band's 1991 Funeral at the Movies EP. Unfortunately, his voice often drowns guitarist Nathan Larson's chops, and the end result is 12 songs dominated by vocal monotony.

"Hop on One Foot" is a Zeppelin-esque tune full of spontaneous outbursts of riffs. And "Call of the Playground" opens the album nicely. But neither is as interesting as the Mind Science of the Mind project, which featured Larson and a Boston contingent of Helium's Mary Timony and Dambuilders Kevin March and Joan Wasser. Although 50,000 B.C. appears intended as Shudder's breakthrough release, a compilation of the band's great past might prove more successful.

-- Jonathan Vena